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Value for Money in Government: The Netherlands 2010

Public administration has entered a new age. In the 1980s, “less” government was the prevailing idea; in the 1990s and early 21st century, “New Public Management” was the dominant theme. Today, public administration is moving in new directions. Reforms are focusing on the quality of services for citizens and businesses and on the efficiency of administration (the “back office” of government). The OECD is studying these new trends in a multi-annual, cross-country project called “Value for Money in Government”.

This publication focuses on the Netherlands and provides an overview of previous Dutch reforms and recommendations for further reforms in view of the need to get better value for money from government.

Foreword

This report is the first country assessment to be produced as part of the OECD study on value for money in government. This study, launched in 2008 on the initiative of the Dutch government, aims to identify new developments in the organisation of central government that are leading to better value for money: better services at lower costs for taxpayers. The first report in the Value for Money series was published in July 2010 under the title Public Administration after “New Public Management”.